Desrosiers shines at World U-18s

TORONTO -- Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic had a solid season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and earned the No. 7 spot in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American goalies for the 2013 NHL Draft.

However, if those rankings had been re-done after the 2013 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, there's a chance Desrosiers might have been a bit higher.

The 6-foot-1.25, 182-pound goalie topped the tournament with a 0.80 goals-against average and .970 save percentage in five games to help Canada win the gold medal. He allowed three goals in his final three games, including a shutout against the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals.

"I think it was a good showcase for me to prove myself," Desrosiers told NHL.com. "I played great and coming to Canada with the gold medal was awesome. I'm very proud of myself. Maybe I proved something. Maybe a lot of scouts saw me. I'm very happy."

Desrosiers went 22-8-5 in 43 games with Rimouski in his first season in the QMJHL, along with a 3.07 GAA and .900 save percentage.

He's No. 2 among QMJHL goalies, behind top-ranked Zachary Fucale of the Memorial Cup-champion Halifax Mooseheads. However, Desrosiers doesn't believe the gap between the two is that wide.

"Right now I'm ranked seventh, but I think I'm a lot better than this," he said. "I think, compared to Zach Fucale, I'm as good as him."

Follow Adam Kimelman on Twitter: @NHLAdamK